Resolve not to believe everything you think or feel

I have a bumper sticker that reads "Don't believe everything you think." I love that sticker and mentally I add to it and say "Don't believe everything you think or feel." It kind of goes along with a quote I heard that went something like, " I used to think that my brain was the most important part of my body. Then I thought 'WHOA! Who is telling me that?'"

Our emotions and intellect are pretty incredible features of being human and they are what makes each of us unique and interesting and provide our ability to enjoy life. However, they are not failsafe and, quite frequently, our ideas get developed within the isolation of each of our own existences. Ever get upset or angry at a situation and then later on you figure out "the rest of the story"? Either you calm down or you learn something new that changes the whole picture and you can see the situation from a different, better angle. There is so much more to us and the world around us than our initial thoughts and reactions allow for.

So this New Year, I would challenge us all to make this resolution: I will not believe everything I think or feel. I will slow down, and I won't react right away. Experience what your brain has to say and then be quiet for a while. It might help us all to keep the anger out of our relationships, keep the politics at a less shrill level and help us view the world through both our own brain but also the world around us. It is a beautiful world if we choose to believe in it.